In 1979, a failure in the cooling system at the nuclear power plant on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania caused a near-meltdown. It was the worst accident ever at an American civilian nuclear facility.

In 1991, just days before the 10th anniversary of the attempt on his life, former President Reagan endorsed a seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases, reversing his earlier opposition.

In 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin survived an impeachment vote by the Congress of People's Deputies.

Also in 1993, French voters rejected the ruling Socialists and gave the conservative alliance a crushing majority in legislative elections.

In 1994, pre-election clashes between Zulu nationalists, the ANC and police claimed 53 lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In 1996, Congress approved the presidential line-item veto.

In 1997, an Italian warship collided with an Albanian ship crowded with refugees, causing an undetermined number of deaths.

In 1999, Purdue won its first women's basketball championship, defeating Duke, 62-45. Its coach was the first black woman to coach a women's championship team.

In 2002, the Justice Department said it would seek the death penalty against Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged at the time as a co-conspirator in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In 2003, a Turkish student surrendered after hijacking an Istanbul-to-Ankara jetliner with about 200 people aboard. No one was hurt.

Also in 2003, the rousing musical "Chicago" won the Academy Award as best picture of 2002. Adrien Brody won the best actor award for his role in "The Pianist," Nicole Kidman won the best actress Oscar for " The Hours" and Roman Polanski was named best director for "The Pianist."

In 2004, more than 40 people were reported killed in a series of bombings and gun battles in the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan.

A thought for the day: Seneca wrote, "What difference does it make how much you have? What you do not have amounts to much more."

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today’s UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI when after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.